Vicious Valentine by Patti Benning (best fiction novels to read txt) 📗

had a high turnover rate of employees at all, and they hadn’t had any major interpersonal problems either. She hoped the new hires would fit in just as well. They seemed to get along with the original employees so far, but only time would be able to tell if she and Caroline had made the right choices in hiring who they had.

She didn’t have to do much that morning; her only job was to observe. She kept at the edges of the room, trying not to hover as she watched Shayne and Nadia wait tables. After a while, she slipped into the kitchen to grab a glass of water and leaned against the counter, happy to hear Tony and Brian chatting like old friends as they worked on the dishes. Brian had been thrilled to have a line cook; as their sous chef, he had sorely needed more kitchen staff to work with.

Nadia nudged the kitchen door with her hip and stepped through, a tray of empty plates balanced on one hand. Her foot caught on the edge of a cabinet and she stumbled, but somehow managed to catch herself without dropping a thing. Eyes wide, she caught Hannah’s gaze like a deer in headlights, and after a moment they both grinned.

“Great catch,” Hannah said, finishing her water and dropping the glass off in the sink. “How are you doing? Are you comfortable with the basics?”

“Oh, yes,” Nadia said as she began rinsing off the dishes. “I was nervous at first, but I’m starting to feel more confident now.”

“Good. I’m glad. Keep up the good work. You and Shayne look great out there.”

Leaving Nadia to finish unloading her tray in the kitchen, Hannah stepped back out into the main dining area. Her eyes roamed the room, looking for Caroline. She spotted her partner chatting with a familiar face at the bar: Vanessa was here. It was hard to miss the woman’s leather jacket and loud voice; Hannah probably would have been able to spot her across the dining area on a weekend night.

Deciding that the restaurant would survive without her supervision for a few more minutes, she changed course to go chat with her friends.

Vanessa was the first to notice her. She looked up, raising her glass in greeting as soon as she saw Hannah coming toward them. Caroline turned and waved her over as well when she spotted her.

“I’m glad you’re here. We were just discussing Valentine’s Day plans.”

“Or the lack of them,” Vanessa said, giving Hannah a pointed look.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“You said you turned Ben down when he asked you to dinner for Valentine’s Day,” Vanessa said, her voice low. “That man adores you. I feel bad for him.”

“I didn’t – well, okay, I did turn him down, but it’s not like you make it sound,” Hannah said, feeling defensive. It was a normal feeling for her to have around Vanessa. Even though the two of them were friends now, Vanessa still tended to get under her skin more often than not. “I told him that I was working late Valentine’s Day night and probably wouldn’t have the energy to go somewhere once we close. We still have other plans, though. What are you doing? Are you still seeing that new guy – what was his name, Ralph?”

“Rory,” Vanessa said, giving her an unimpressed look, though that faded quickly when Shayne approached to drop off a plate with her burger on it. Vanessa gave him a grateful smile, then continued. “And I’m not sure yet. We saw each other again last night, though. He’s – well, nice. He reminds me of Ben, in fact. He said he’d call me today so we could figure out what we want to do for the holiday, but we already agreed not to do gifts. It puts too much pressure on people, especially so early in a relationship.”

“I agree with that,” Hannah said. “Sorry – Shayne, did you need help with something?”

“Oh, no, I was just wondering if the two of you wanted anything, but I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“I’m good,” Hannah said.

“I’ll take a soda,” Caroline said. “Thanks, Shayne. Good work so far.”

“I’ll be right back with that,” he promised. He shot a lingering glance at Vanessa as he left, and Caroline waggled her eyebrows at her friend.

“Look at you, enchanting our waitstaff. If Rory doesn’t take you out for Valentine’s Day, it looks like he’ll have some competition. Speaking of guys, is Corbin still bothering you?”

“He’s your most recent ex, right?” Hannah interjected. Vanessa had had a few boyfriends in the time Hannah had known her, and she was busy enough with her own life that sometimes she found it hard to keep the people in her friend’s life straight.

“Yeah, he’s the most recent disaster in my life. Did I ever tell you why we broke up? I don’t think I did. I’m pretty sure that’s when Caroline and I were out shopping a couple weeks ago.”

“Oh, I remember that. We got Thai food and you told me all about what happened.”

“You were working,” Vanessa said, turning back to Hannah. “We would’ve invited you otherwise.”

“I’ll just have to get the story now,” Hannah said. As she leaned back against the bar, she began to wish she had ordered a soda too, even if just for the distraction. It felt strange to be sitting here doing nothing while the restaurant was running, though from her vantage point she could keep an eye on Nadia and Shayne as they worked and reassure herself that everything was under control.

“Well, it’s a long story but I can give you the gist of it now. A couple of weeks before I left him, I started to get the feeling that someone was following me. Just small stuff – if I was walking home from work at night, I’d hear someone’s footsteps behind me, and I swear someone took a picture of me through my car window once. I’ve had someone ring my